Laureano “Larry” Romero’s arrest report indicates his daughter said she saw him shoot DeAngelo Cox, 22, and Nick Lewis, 21, on Tuesday at a home in the Taft area.

Romero, 39, was arrested and faces two first-degree murder charges.

According to the report, the girl told her mother, “Daddy killed two black men.” Deputies said it was Romero’s mother who called authorities to report what her granddaughter said she saw.

Other witnesses apparently told deputies they saw Romero drive away from his Taft home after the shootings. He was using Cox’s Pontiac, according to the report.

"I can say there was a relationship between the suspect and the murder victims, that they had a prior relationship and that they were known to one another before this happened," said Orange County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jane Watrel.

Deputies believe the shooting stemmed from some kind of drug deal gone awry. Romero told investigators that he shot the men out of fear and in self-defense.

According to the arrest report, Romero called his brother and told him he had killed two men because they were making threats and he "had to protect himself."

The deaths shocked friends of the men killed.

He's a good kid. He was an awesome guy, a hell of a friend," friend Jamar Clark said about Cox, who worked at an area Boys and Girls Club.